The first is about "The Whippet" exercise. When drawing the scapula together & hands behind back position, it says to "maintain an externally rotated upper arm". Might be a simple one but what exactly defines an externally rotated arm position?

My other question is about the "Overhead Straight Arm Pull down" - In the bottom position where the Scapula are depressed youre supposed to "chamber the Humerus head (the end of the upper arm inserting into your shoulder capsule) into position. "

In other words what does it mean to chamber the humerus head into position?

The first is about "The Whippet" exercise. When drawing the scapula together & hands behind back position, it says to "maintain an externally rotated upper arm". Might be a simple one but what exactly defines an externally rotated arm position?

Stand with your arms hanging to your sides and turn your palms forward - that's external rotation. So in a behind the back arm position, you're trying to rotate the humerus that same way - you'll probably find that it helps you with that scapular protraction and vice versa.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Möller

My other question is about the "Overhead Straight Arm Pull down" - In the bottom position where the Scapula are depressed youre supposed to "chamber the Humerus head (the end of the upper arm inserting into your shoulder capsule) into position. "

In other words what does it mean to chamber the humerus head into position?

It just means keeping the arm tight into the shoulder rather than letting it be distracted

I googled until my eyes where square and asked the same question on four different forums, then I gave up. Now I got the answer.
Thanks alot!
Funny though, now that I know what it means I kind of feel like an idiot. External rotation and chambering something...... How hard could it be to figure that out...

External rotation while retracted the scapulas with arms out the sides will have the thumbs pointing backward.

Getting a bit confused here. If I stand with arms to sides & direct palms forward and then raise them to the T-position Ido has in the exercise described (The Whippet). My thumbs are pointing upwards. In the video too, Ido has his thumbs pointing up?

Are we not just talking "degrees of rotation"? External rotation, sounds to me like it simply describes the direction to turn? If I rotate my arms in the direction Greg described and then hold my arms out to my side, my thumbs are pointing up?
If I turn it another quarter in the same direction, my thumbs will now be facing back?
Done in a standing position....

If thumbs are pointing up, the arm is in some relative amount of external rotation.

If the thumbs are pointing backwards, your arm is in maximum external rotation (or more if it can start to point towards the ground).

You can tell by the fact that the biceps is rotated fully on top of your arm or not. You'll see if you turn your thumb more from pointed up to backward that your biceps will be more on top. That's more relativel external rotation.